RE: One More Post About the Comet
According to the official Minor Planet Center (MPC) forecast, the maximum brightness will be +0.3 and will be reached on October 7, 2024. The brightness of the comet will exceed magnitude +2 from September 20 to October 20, 2024. According to Gideon van Buitenen's prediction, which takes into account the effect of direct dust scattering, the comet's maximum brightness will reach magnitude −1 and will be reached on October 13, 2024.
That's pretty bright. For reference/context, the magnitudes can be understood from the chart on this page. I asked Leo (AI agent in the Brave browser) to describe a comet between magnitude 2 and magnitude -1. Here's what he said:
A comet with a brightness between magnitude 2 and magnitude -1 is relatively bright and can be easily seen with the naked eye. Objects with negative magnitudes are brighter than Vega, while objects with positive magnitudes are dimmer. In this range, the comet would be visible in the night sky, but its exact appearance would depend on the specific magnitude and the conditions of the observing location.
If I recall correctly, Pons-Brooks was supposed to peak around magnitude 5. At that brightness, I had no chance of seeing it where I live, so I'm glad we'll have a chance to catch another one in the fall.
Yes, it really should be a bright object, although I am cautious about predictions. If I'm not mistaken, Comet Gale-Bopp had a magnitude of 0.7. It was an incredible sight that I could watch every night just from my window when I went to bed. In this case, it is difficult for me to even imagine a comet with a brightness of -1.
Somehow, I managed to miss the Hale-Bopp comet. I guess 'cause we didn't have cell phone maps of the skies in those days, so I wouldn't have known where to look. The only thing I remember from Hale-Bopp's passing was the Heaven's Gate cult 😞. It hadn't occurred to me, but now that you mention Gale-Bopp, I hope that Zuqingshan-ATLAS doesn't attract similar dysfunction.
There will always be people who, for the sake of some interests, will spoil any event 😕.
I always skipped magnitudes while reading stellar data, thinking, the angle from horizon would be sufficient to locate a star.